For precise and/or long manual operations, such as neurosurgical operations and the like, there are known body following support apparatuses for supporting a part of an operator's body, such as an arm.
Such a body following support apparatus includes a movable mount member on which a part of an operator's body is mountable.
Specifically, such a body following support apparatus is desired to make the mount member, on which operator's arm is mounted, follow motion of the supported arm, and lock the mount member when the operator wants to fix the supported arm.
In order to meet such desires, there are known technologies, an example of which is disclosed in patent document 1.
The body following support apparatus disclosed in patent document 1 is configured to automatically switch its operation mode between a first operating mode and a second operating mode. The first operating mode is configured to lock movement of the mount member. The second operating mode unlocks the mount member to be freely movable.
In particular, the body following support apparatus disclosed in patent document 1 is configured to automatically switch its operation mode between the first and second operating modes in accordance with a result of comparison between
1. At least one of the level of force applied from the supported arm to the mount member, and the moving speed of the mount member
2. A corresponding at least one of predetermined thresholds